Fade Into Worry
by Frozen Obsidian
Summary: She hates how missing him is turning her into some irrational, touchy fool, but she can't help it. - Annabeth throughout The Lost Hero and Son of Neptune. Percabeth.


**Fade Into Worry**

She's spent the past few months worrying about Percy. _Is he alright? Is he safe? Does he remember her?_

Every night, every day, every second of time, she's thinking about him. Which is saying a lot, because usually her mind is so full of thoughts about architecture and philosophy and Percy and life, that she can barely distinguish where one starts and the other ends.

But now it all rolls into one big ball of Percy-Percy-Percy, never ending, because damned it, she's worried about the Seaweed Brain.

She's scared that he thinks no one is coming for him, because six months is a long time to go alone in a strange place, probably amnesiac, wondering if there's someone somewhere that loves him.

She's scared that he's hurt (_he can't be dead, she'd know. it can't be possible),_ and that no one is there to bandage him and berate him and tell him that he's stupid and kiss him senseless afterwards.

She's scared that there _is_ someone who is healing him and scolding him and gods forbid, kissing him. She can't fully blame him for moving on, for falling for someone else if he doesn't remember her, but he _can't _have forgotten her, not after everything.

She's scared that everything they've made; everything they've been through to get to this wonderful, perfect point in their relationship… is going to crash down because of one stupid goddess who is too big for her britches.

(_She knows, of course she does, that Hera's reasons are justified but she lets herself be irrational this once. She's hurting, okay?)_

She is wearing herself thin, she realizes, but she can't stop. Her mind won't quit worrying, always going over the what ifs and whys and hows. It's always been a part of her, this endless thinking – she's never minded it, but now she wishes that her brain would quit, just for a little while.

She is driving everyone crazy, especially poor Leo. She knows that she's half terrified the Latino boy into submission, with her constant demands for faster work on the Argo II, and that he's already doing everything he can, but she needs an outlet and Leo is just the most convenient one available. She apologizes of course, but that doesn't stop her from doing it again.

She tries to avoid Jason and Piper, which is probably why they haven't come under much fire. It's petty of her, stupid of her, unworthy of a daughter of Athena to act so thoughtlessly towards people who had no fault in this, but she does it anyway, because they remind of her of what she fears.

She can't stand watching the son of Jupiter with the daughter of Aphrodite because she sees a son of Poseidon with a faceless girl of Rome.

Each time, her fist clenches and she shreds another training dummy in the arena. She would prefer a moving, living target to vent her frustrations on but no one is dumb enough to volunteer. (Clarisse wasn't around, damned it.)

She wishes that Thalia was here. Maybe it was immature of her, to keep believing in her once big sister, but Thalia has always known what to do.

Months pass with barely a murmur about her erstwhile boyfriend.

Grover manages to establish a link with Percy once, and her heart beats fast in exhilaration. He's alive, she wants to scream, he's _alive_.

There's so many things she wants to say to him but the link is gone before she can say any of it.

Her heart breaks a little bit, but it's okay because at least he's alive and maybe he's going to come back soon.

They immediately tell Tyson about it, and the Cyclopes goes straight to the area.

He's crying when he IM's back to inform them that Percy isn't there.

She feels like joining him in his tears but she doesn't, of course. She simply sets her mouth into a firm line of determination and tells Tyson to keep looking.

Stupid Percy, always making her worry…

-0-0-0-

So many months and months of hurting and waiting and worrying, andwhen Leo finally announces that the Argo II is complete, she almost collapses with relief.

Instead, she smiles, bright and happy with the slightest tinge of worry, and says that they'll leave tomorrow.

She sleeps well that night for the first time in months.

-0-0-0-

Things don't go as smoothly as she would like. Monsters attack the ship and while the Argo II holds up well against the assault, it does delay their arrival by several days.

They get news that Camp Jupiter is under attack. Her heart stops and she hisses through her teeth.

It's okay, Percy will be fine, she tells herself. The Seaweed Brain knows that she'd gut him if he wasn't.

_(Except maybe he doesn't. Maybe he doesn't remember…)_

But she worries nonetheless.

-0-0-0-

When the Argo II finally lands, she is the first one off the landing strip.

Her gaze searches the area, marvels at the beautiful architecture, damaged though it is. A part of her wonders if they'll let her help rebuild.

There's so many campers, she thinks in shock. Hundreds of them, so many young and so many old. It makes her head hurt at the thought – what if they decide to attack?

While part of her is thinking about this, a larger part of her is searching for a mop of black hair and sea green eyes. _Where is he?_

The grumbling crowd before her suddenly parts, and two figures in purple togas walk slowly down. The girl is pretty, with a strong, stern air around her. She looks strangely familiar.

The boy…. Her heart almost stops when she stares into his beautiful green eyes.

She knows, then, when the eyes sparkle as they meet hers, that he remembers.

And suddenly all the worry fades away as she runs forwards to kiss him.

For once, she doesn't think.

It's a perfect moment, even with the angrily murmuring Romans around her and the uneasy Greeks behind her, because Percy is alive and he is safe and he _remembers her_.

Her eyes light up and she tells him, "You moronic Seaweed Brain."

He smiles and says, "I missed you too, Wise Girl."

And everything is alright again.

xxxxx

_I did not know who to end this, which is why you got the craptastic line at the finish. Sorry?_

_Anyway, I'm a diehard Percabeth shipper but this is first attempt at a PJO fic, so hopefully I nailed Annabeth's thought process and Percy's relationship well enough.  
_

_I'm so sleep deprived...  
_

_Anyway, please R&R.  
_

_Loves,  
_

_~FO  
_


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